Lois
by This scepter'd Isle
Summary: They meet, fall in love and then are separated. What happens when they meet again?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was a dark humid night, the distance sounds of thunder and the occasional flash of the lightning welcomed Lois Lane to the rural town of Smallville. She wished it was under better circumstances, better yet she wished she never have had to make this journey in the first place. She wished she was back in Metropolis, back in the arms of the man she had fallen in love with in just a few short weeks. However, that was now over, both of them had to stop running and once again face the reality of their lives. They had parted ways with no means to contact each other, their reunion left to the hands of fate. That had been a month ago. The month following hadn't been any better for Lois, her heart already broken at the separation from her love, was shattered with the news of her cousin Chloe's and her uncle's death. She had later learnt that Chloe wasn't just an unfortunate victim of an accident, but rather someone had targeted her to silence her. Her cousin was set to testify in the trial of the billionaire Lionel Luthor for murder, and it seemed he had managed to arrange for Chloe's safe house to explode. Lois had never felt more hatred for anyone else in her life; she vowed to not let Chloe's sacrifice be in vain. With the trial nearing, Lois set out to prove Lionel Luthor's connection to her cousin's death. She was alone in her quest; on a night like this she wished she had Kal with her.

They had met at a nightclub in Metropolis, both underaged, both running from something and both searching for a connection. A connection they found in each other. He was wild and untamed, led by his desires. She would later learn that the inconspicuous ring on his hand fueled his behaviour. Red Kryptonite he had called it, it lowered his inhibitions and let out everything he had suppressed. He had told her how he was the last survivor of long gone planet, and how the burden of his abilities and his biological father's demands had suffocated him. The scar on his chest, a symbol of his disobedience, had fascinated and appalled her. She didn't know how he could live with the pain it must cause him. He had told her that she tamed his heart; that he was more like himself when he was with her and that she helped reconcile his two personas. That he didn't need the ring as long as she was with him. She had helped him with the guilt of having hurt the people who had raised him, and helped him past the rejection he had felt from them. She in turn told him of her overbearing father, who treated her more like one of his soldiers than his daughter. How she had been forced to become a mother to her younger sister, and the guilt she felt towards her. She had told him more things about herself than she had to anyone before. She just wished she had told him her real name.

She had gone to Metropolis and had met him under the name of Kay Andrews in an attempt to distance herself from Lois Lane. As for Kal, she knew it was his birth name, but she knew he too was keeping his true name from her. She had followed his lead. It was an almost magical existence, it was Kal and Kay against the world and the short two months that they were together had been the happiest of her life. However reality was not far away from them, creeping into the seams of their life, with the reminders of what they still had to face. And they had to face them alone. The visible reminders to Kal were all too poignant; he had to face his parents, biological and adoptive. He had reluctantly decided to come to terms with his destiny, which meant he had to leave, without knowing when or if he would return. She had understood. He told her that he loved her and he would try everything in his power to find his way back to her. They spent one final night together comforting and loving each other and most importantly saying goodbye.

"K-E-N-T. Kent. It's a farm. Do they even have addresses?" Lois asked frustratedly into her phone as she tried to navigate her way through Smallville's country roads. It was a lead that Chloe had given in her in her recording for her best friend Clark Kent.

"Mm-mm-mm. Look, the last super genius I had on the line told me to turn right on Route 31. Now I'm totally lost...Oh, about a billion stalks of corn." She said replied sarcastically feeling more annoyed and cranky than ever, it wasn't helped by the fact that ever since learning of Chloe's death she had not slept well and had the occasional bouts of nausea and an ill constitution to certain foods. She had attributed them to the amount of stress she was under. The current weather was also not helping Lois's mood, the thunder and lightning had increased in their frequency.

A bolt of lightning struck the cornfield to the right of Lois's car caused her phone to short out.

"Aah! That's just great." Lois exclaimed exasperated. She put the phone away and pulled down the visor above her seat revealing a mirror and a cigarette strapped onto the visor. She grabbed the cigarette and looked into the mirror.

"Okay, if you smoke this, you are gonna spend the rest of the night hating yourself." She said as she looked at herself in the mirror. She dropped the cigarette and reached into her bag for a piece of gum. She had tried Nicorrette but it had left her feeling nauseous, so she stuck to regular gum. Just as she took her eyes of the road, lightning struck the road in front of her car causing a small explosion of sparks and a cloud of smoke. Lois quickly swerved to the right to avoid the lightning. She lost control of the car and drove off the side of the road into a corn field. She drove through several yards of cornstalks taller than her car until she finally managed to come to a stop, unharmed. She took a deep breath. Then she looked up into the cloudy sky. She was startled as three bolts of lightning shot out of the clouds from three separate places. Halfway to the ground, they converged into one bolt and struck the ground not far from Lois's car creating a shimmering white ball of energy that expanded and then shot itself at her car.

"Aah!" Lois shouted ducking to protect herself. After the energy dissipated, there was a huge circle of flattened cornstalks in front of Lois's car and several small fires burned in random locations in the circle. Orange bolts of energy shot from fire to fire creating half-realised patterns before disappearing again. Lois slowly rose her eyes above the dashboard and peeked through her windshield cautiously. She then stepped out of the car and looked into the crop circle, awe-struck. The headlights on her car revealed a heavily muscled naked man lying with his back to Lois. She walked toward him.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed at the thought of the man having been hit by three bolts of lightning at once. She carefully approached but stopped as she saw the man plant his hand on to the ground and push himself to a standing position with his back to Lois.

"Are you- are you okay? Lois stammered out getting a weird feeling of recognition. The man, however, did not respond.

"What's your name?" She asked walking towards him.

"I don't know." He replied turning around to face her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Kal?!" She exclaimed, shocked to have found him like this. She quickly shortened the distance between them as she enveloped in a hug inhaling his comforting scent, not caring the least for his lack of clothing, besides it wasn't like she hadn't seen it before.

"Are you okay?" She asked reluctantly letting him go and looking for any signs of injury. She looked at his chest and was surprised to see it scar free.

"I am fine." Kal replied robotically to the strange human who had embraced him.

"You've just been hit by lightning, you're stark naked, and, uh, you don't even remember your own name. You have a fairly loose definition of 'fine.'" Lois admonished remembering how he didn't know who he was. She was also worried about how emotionless he was. Kal faced Lois exposing himself fully to the lights of her cars headlights.

"Look at his face..." Lois admonished herself from getting distracted. Despite her efforts her eyes lowered slightly, Kal was completely unabashed, staring at her as if he couldn't understand her discomfort.

"I have a blanket in the trunk. Don't move. I'll be right back." Lois said trying to distract herself from the thoughts of Kal's naked body and the memories that it invoked of the past summer.

"Wait." Kal called causing Lois to stop and turn to face him.

"Who are you?" Kal asked unaware of how the question ripped at Lois's heart. She knew it wasn't his fault that he couldn't remember, but it hurt all the same. She decided to put the hurt aside and focus on helping him get better.

"Lois. Lois Lane." She answered honestly. At least she managed to finally tell him her real name. She returned with the red blanket and wrapped it around him before helping him into her car. She managed to get the car out of the ditch and onto the road, all the while with Kal watching her blankly.

"What am I supposed to do with you now?" She asked talking to herself more than Kal.

"I don't even know your real name! I can't exactly take you to the hospital now can I? I suppose I could find the Kent farm and...No I need to find you some clothes first. I can't take you to meet strangers as naked as the day you were born! They'll probably think we're both insane, they'd never let me talk to their son." Lois postulated nervously while Kal just stared at her blankly. She once again reached over for her bag to get her gum.

"Trident Sugarless." She explained at Kal's curious expression indicating the gum she put into her mouth. It was the first bit of emotion she had had from him.

"I've given up smoking. These are the only things that get me through the day. Of course I can't even take Nicorette cause it leaves me feeling sick and these don't do jack for my cravings but keep me occupied and my breath minty fresh. I started when I was 15. It's my father's fault. He said if he ever caught me smoking, he'd kill me, so in a fit of teenage rebellion, I started, then I couldn't stop. Now I've got a gum addiction." Lois explained with awkward hand gestures, occasionally taking her eyes of the road and to her blanket-clad companion.

"You talk a lot." Kal observed curiously.

"Well, I'm just not very comfortable with uncomfortable silence, and you're not exactly keeping up with your end of the conversation. Besides you would know this about me, if you in fact remembered who I was." Lois ranted curtly.

"Sorry, I know it isn't your fault you don't remember." Lois apologised thinking she was being overly harsh on him. Her companion, however, remained oblivious.

"I'm not supposed to be here." Kal said randomly.

"Well neither am I." Lois retorted taking a look at his profile. He was staring into the night sky like he was waiting for something. She drove into the centre of Smallville and tried to locate somewhere where she could get Kal some clothes, then may be she could figure out a way to help him. She noticed most of the shops were closed, small towns she thought sarcastically, however she did notice one building that still had its lights on and someone inside. She parked the car telling Kal to stay put. She approached the front and saw an older man painting the skirting around his store, the store looked to house odds bits and pieces from jewellery to small pieces of furniture. Luckily, she also spotted a rack of men's suits, presumably those that had been donated. She gently knocked alerting the man to her. He got up a opened the door.

"Hello can I help you miss?" He asked kindly.

"Ah. Yes. You see, uh, my friend he, lets just say he's clothing deprived right now. I was just wondering if it would be possible to purchase on of those suits over there." Lois awkwardly pointing to the clothes rack.

"We're closed miss. I'm sure you can come back in the morning." He offered looking at the strange out of towner.

"Yeah that's all well and good, but...okay. My friends actually naked right now. You see I found him on the side of the road, he doesn't remember who he is. I just wanted to get him some clothing before I take him to the hospital." Lois explained hoping to get the man to let her get some clothes.

"Okay then. Why didn't you just say so." The man replied jovially and ushered her in.

Lois returned to her car with a dark blue suit, the only one in his size. As she approached her car she noticed the absence of her companion.

"Son of a..." Lois exclaimed as she frantically looked around. The dread she felt at the thought of losing him was quickly abated when she noticed him standing with the red blanket on his shoulders like a cape in the alley next to someplace called the Talon looking at the sky.

"What do you think you're doing?" She admonished as she grabbed his shoulders and turned to face him.

"I'm waiting for the sign." He replied looking at his human companion.

"You know waiting's better when we have pants on!" She then took the suit of its hanger and handed the pants to Kal. At his blank expression she rolled her eyes and motioned for him to put them on. He looked at the pants and put them on, Lois then handed him the suit jacket and helped him put it on, while taking the red blanket. Sighing in relief began to usher him back to the car. However at the lack of his movement she stopped and addressed him.

"Okay. I'll help you find the sign." Lois assured and was relieved to see him follow her.

"I swear if I ever get to meet this Jor-El I'd give him a piece of my mind." Lois muttered annoyed, knowing that what had happened to Kal had been at the hands of his biological father. Lois felt Kal once again stop; exasperated she turned to see what the problem was now. She noticed Kal blink several times and shake his head. He then focused his eyes on her.

"Kay?" He asked confused to see her in front of him. Lois suddenly dropped his hand and looked at him questioningly. Was he remembering?

"Kal?" She whispered edging closer to him. He still held the expressionless look, but she did notice recognition in his eyes. Before he could answer he heard a high-pitched screeching sound causing him to reach for his ears, falling to his knees in pain.

"Kal!" Lois said worried as she quickly went to his side. Lois kneeled down next to him, putting her hands on his arms, trying to find out what was happening. The noise stopped. Kal turned away from Lois as he looked into the sky with an expression of certainty and determination. He rose to his feet. Lois stood up with him and looked into his eyes.

"I am Kal-El of Krypton. It is time to fulfil my destiny." Kal stated looking into Lois's eyes.

"Do not worry Lois Lane, I will come back to you." Kal added gently, lovingly stroking her face to sooth her worried expression. Lois watched on speechless as he stepped away from her. She saw Kal bend his knees, almost squatting before soaring into the sky at superspeed. She stood there for several minutes trying to comprehend what just happened. He could fly? It was the dominant thought in her mind. She also remembered his loving words, and still felt the phantom heat of his hand on her cheek. Deciding to wait for his return to ask him what was happening, she went back to her car and parked it in the alleyway, in the hopes of getting some sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Chapter 3

She woke in the morning feeling nauseous from the overbearing smell of coffee coming from the building next to her. For some reason, ever since Chloe's death the smell of coffee made her want to vomit. She guessed it was due to the stress, but also the fact she had always associated coffee with Chloe. When they were younger, both Chloe and Lois would go together to their favourite coffee shop and have coffee with various desserts, wanting to act grown up.

She would go to the Kent farm as soon as she got herself cleaned up. She figured while Kal was doing whatever it was he was doing, she could continue to do what she had planned to. She drove up to the yellow farmhouse, having found the place with ease during daylight. It was a quaint setting, Lois mused, and she saw the practical instruments associated with running a farm laid out in various places on the farm. She walked up to the house and knocked. A beautiful redheaded woman partly opened the door.

"Yes?" She questioned fully opening the door, revealing her to be heavily pregnant.

"Hi, my name's Lois Lane. I was wondering if I could speak to a Clark Kent?" Lois asked not missing the sudden change in the woman's expression.

"You...you know Clark?" The woman asked hopefully, trying to hide the sadness from her eyes.

"Ah. No, my cousin mentioned him in a video. I think Clark might know something about my cousin Chloe's death." Lois replied seeing the woman's expression turn from hopeful to despondent.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. But Clark's...he's been missing since before Chloe's passing." Martha informed her regretfully rubbing her her stomach. Lois was shocked to learn this, she also felt bad for being insensitive.

"I'm sorry I didn't know." Lois apologised awkwardly.

"It's okay Lois. I hope you find what you're looking for." Martha wished her the best.

"Thanks. Bye." Lois replied turning to leave, a little despondent herself.

"Lois?" Martha called after her, causing her to turn again.

"If...if you find Clark could you please tell him...tell him to come home." Martha asked tearfully. Lois nodded sincerely and walked back to her car, a little heartbroken at the woman's obvious pain. As she drove out of the farm, she passed a blonde man in a red truck driving to the farm. She pulled onto the main road and parked her car on the side to look over her notes and decide the next course of action. However, she didn't notice as Kal floated in front of the car, until he walked to the passenger side door, opening it and sitting inside.

"KAL!" Lois asked shocked.

"Hi Kay, or should I say Lois?" He asked teasing warmly. He had quiet the night, after retrieving the first stone of power from Lex's jet, the other two stones then summoned him. He had returned them to the altar in the Kawatche caves and watched them as the merged into one crystal. He also remembered being restored to his complete self, no longer Kal the robot, or Kal-El the last son of Krypton, but Clark Kent. He grabbed the crystal and entered the portal that the caves had generated. The next thing he knew he had been teleported to the middle of the Arctic. He inexplicably felt the urge to throw the crystal into the tundra. As he did so he witnessed the emergence of his Fortress of Solitude, as Jor-El had called it, rise from the snow with large crystal beams forming a canopy for him to enter. He was informed by Jor-El that his training would now begin, not wanting to spend years away from his family and Kay, Lois he corrected, he successfully negotiated with his father to allow him to complete his training in installments allowing him to remain with his family. He returned from the Fortress with the thoughts of reuniting with his family. After he had left Lois in Metropolis, he had gone straight to Jor-El, he hadn't seen his mum and dad in over four months. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do, he also needed to come to terms with his parents in his role in them losing their unborn child. His guilt was ever present, and would stay with him as long as he'd live. But Lois had shown him that he couldn't hide from it, sooner or later he would have to face his parents. And that is what he was going to do. However, first he wanted to fulfill his promise to Lois and go back to her. May be she would accompany him to meet his parents. He was still shocked that Lois had been the one to find him, what was she doing in Smallville? He wondered. They had left their reunion up to fate and it seemed fate had obliged.

"Kal are you okay? Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was that you wouldn't remember, or that you wouldn't come back?" Lois rambled relieved to have him fulfill his promise and come back to her, but now she needed answers. However, Kal just smiled at her rant, before closing the distance between them and capturing her worried lips in a kiss of longing and happiness. Lois could not help but respond, she felt the stress of the last few days ebb away at the physical confirmation that Kal was back. They spent several minutes reaffirming their love for one another. Clark then explained all that had happened since he had left her in Metropolis, he explained the compromise he had reached with Jor-El.

"So Kal, you don't have to leave again?" She asked hopefully.

"No. I don't." He affirmed smiling widely at her relieved smile.

"And Lois since I know your real name, it's only fair you know mine." Clark teased.

"Well...Don't keep me in suspense or there'll be hell to pay." Lois threatened menacingly.

"Hi Lois Lane. I'm Clark Kent." Clark introduced himself with a goofy smile. However, the smile left his face as he saw Lois's stunned expression.

"What?" Clark asked concerned.

"You're Clark Kent?" Lois asked seriously.

"Yeah, why?" Clark asked confused.

"Clark Kent, from Smallville?" Lois asked again.

"Yeah the very one. Now tell me why you look like you've seen a ghost?" Clark asked worriedly.

"Ka...Clark I was looking for you when I found you." Lois tried to explain; she knew she wasn't doing a good job of it judging by his confused expression.

"That's good isn't it?" Clark asked confused.

"I mean I was looking for Clark Kent. Who I had no idea was you. All I knew that he was my cousin Chloe's best friend." Lois clarified.

"Wait, Chloe's your cousin? What do you mean was her best friend?" Clark asked dreading the answer. He watched as tears lined her hazel eyes as she quickly wiped them away.

"She and my uncle Gabe were in the FBI safe house that exploded. They didn't make it." Lois answered gently watching the horror of realisation come over Clark's face. She saw him holding back tears.

"I'm sorry." Clark said averting her gaze.

"You listen here Clark Kent, we are not getting back on that guilt trip, do you hear me? It wasn't your fault. You can't save everyone." Lois said vehemently having recognised his look of guilt forcing him to look into her eyes. When their eyes met she saw the deep hurt that was there, causing her eyes to tear up also. She got out of her seat and moved over to his and engulfed him in her arms, letting him do the same for her. They sat in each other's arms grieving for their loss. She explained what had lead to Chloe being in a safe house and how she believed Lionel Luthor was behind the whole thing. Clark promised that whoever was responsible would be put to justice. Lois told him how she visited the Kent Farm when he was wherever he'd flown off to. Lois encouragingly informed him his mother was still pregnant and that he hadn't caused her to miscarry. She also relayed his mother's message to her. Clark was overcome with emotion once again, firstly guilt and then relief and joy at the prospect of having a sibling. He asked Lois if she would accompany him back to the farm, when she had shown her reluctance to intrude on a family matter. Clark assured her that as far as he was concerned she was family to him. He also said he hoped that he hadn't overstepped their current relationship status, but he couldn't have her not know how much she meant to him. Lois had accepted after having teased him for being a 'cheese ball', however she also stated she too felt the same about him.


	4. Chapter 4

Lois drove back to the Kent Farm and once again stopped outside the yellow house. She stayed silent and allowed Clark to process what had happened and what he was going to do. Clark noticed his father's car and heard the tell tale signs of his father working in the barn. He took a deep breath and smiled as he felt Lois place her hand on his and give it an encouraging squeeze. He leant over and quickly kissed her in appreciation and got out of the car. He tentatively walked up the stairs of the porch and looked quickly to Lois who was standing by the door of the car offering him a reassuring smile. He went to the door and hesitantly opened it. He saw his mother in the kitchen doing some preparation work before she cooked something.

"Jonathan, honey, could you hand me that jar on the top shelf. I would get it myself but somebody doesn't want me to "over do it"." He heard his mother reply teasingly as she assumed it was her husband who had entered her home. Clark silently and easily grabbed the jar and walked towards his mother's turned back. As he got closer, he could see she was busy mixing ingredients into a bowl.

"Mom?" Clark said with emotion. He watched as his mother stilled and dropped the bowl she was holding, he quickly caught it using his super speed and set it aside.

"Clark?" Martha asked tearfully as she tentatively reached to touch his face with her hand. At feeling his mother's comforting hand on his face the tears that were in his eyes finally broke and made their way down his face. The next he knew; he was engulfed by his mother in a hug.

"It's really you! Don't you ever leave again do you understand me?" Martha asserted crying with relief and happiness to have her son back home. She felt him hug her back tightly; she had almost given up hope that he would return. However, at meeting the young woman that morning, Martha couldn't help but hope that somehow Clark would come home. They stayed like that for a while, before Clark let her go and they both looked at each other to discern if they were all right. At the sight of his pregnant mother, a smile of relief and joy came to Clark's face.

"Clark?" Jonathan asked shocked at seeing his son. Lois quietly followed him after his insistence.

"Dad." Clark cried before going across the room and hugging his father.

"I'm sorry." He said guiltily. Jonathan overcome with emotion, just hugged his son and soothed him. The family and Lois at Clark's assurance sat down to talk about what had happened. Both Jonathan and Martha were confused at their son's insistence that Lois be present with them, as far as they knew neither Clark nor Lois knew each other. Seeing his parents' worried and confused looks, he decided to explain what had happened after he left. He explained how he met Lois under false names and how they fell in love. How she helped him realise that he had to face the consequences of his actions with both them and Jor-El. He knew his parents were shocked to learn that Lois knew about Clark, however Lois assured them that she would never betray Clark's secret because she loved him, their worries were set aside for now. Clark went on explain his rebirth, finding the stones and his negotiations with Jor-El. He apologised again for putting them through so much, his parents assured him that they were just happy he was back home and that his sister would have her big brother. His parents then explained what had happened and how they learnt the baby was okay. Martha thanked Lois for helping her son and bringing him back to her. They then discussed Chloe's death and Lois's investigation into it, they both warned them to be careful, especially in Clark's case. He definitely didn't need the FBI sniffing around him. By the time they finished talking, between two meals and several cups of coffee and tea, it was late into the evening. Clark offered Lois his room and with emphatic looks from his parents he accepted the couch in the living room.

"So this is where little Clark grew up hunh?" Lois asked as she surveyed his room, she laughed at the plaid bed sheets. For the life of her she couldn't believe she'd fallen for a farm boy of all people.

"Yeah pretty much. Not what you expected?" Clark asked seeing her take in his room.

"No. Not really. To be honest I could never really picture it. I mean they way we met and got together, I never really gave it a thought." Lois shrugged before sitting on the bed. Clark joined her.

"Yeah, I could never really picture your room either." Clark agreed. He thought of how their relationship grew from the sexually charged sparring matches they had had when they met in Metropolis to falling in love with each other. They still didn't know a lot about each other, other than the most important facts. He thought that just meant they would have to get to know each other better and he couldn't help but smile at the idea of getting to know her.

"I wouldn't exactly say room, it was more like rooms given how much we travelled. And I would have Lucy there too so they weren't exactly my rooms. To think about it I never had a room of my own, weird huh?" Lois contemplated. Clark looked at her and squeezed her hand in understanding.

"I'll let you get settled in." Clark rose and kissed her lovingly on the forehead.

"Thanks." Lois replied tiredly. It had been a long day and she wanted nothing more to go to sleep in Clark's arms, but knew that wasn't going to happen so she'll settle for his bed, which actually smelled like him.


	5. Chapter 5

Lois woke up early the next day; she showered and got ready for her day before walking down the stairs. She noticed Clark was still asleep, she took a few minutes to observe his topless form and muscles on his back flex, as he got comfortable. Shaking herself of her reverie she entered the kitchen to see Mrs. Kent preparing breakfast.

"Hi." She whispered causing the older woman to smile.

"Morning Lois, sleep well?" Martha asked.

"Yeah wonderfully, thank you." Lois replied walking over to the sink and pouring herself a glass of water. The smell of coffee was playing havoc with her stomach.

"Ever since I found out about Chloe, I haven't been able to stomach the smell of coffee." Lois said by the way of explanation.

"Lois may be you should see a doctor about that or try to lower your stress." Martha suggested worriedly. She had seen the young woman's will to gain justice for her cousin, but she could also see that with the relentlessness she pursued her cause was also causing ill effects for her health.

"I'll rest when I get justice for Chloe. The FBI inquest closed last week. They've ruled the explosion an accident. I mean, how many gas leaks do you know of in safe houses?" Lois replied causing Martha to looked stunned at the revelation.

"I'm sure Clark will help in anyway he can." Martha assured guessing her son would do pretty much anything for the young woman in front of her. She was still getting used to the idea of Clark and Lois, but she could see why her son was so enamoured. There was a will and determination in everything Lois did, and to be honest Martha thought Clark needed someone like her in his life. She had already seen the influence Lois had had on Clark. True, it may be due to Clark accepting his destiny, but Martha knew that a large part of the credit goes to Lois for helping him accept who he is.

"I know he will. Chloe said in her notes that you used to work for Lionel, and I'm trying to get in to see him, but he keeps refusing me. Any advice?" Lois pondered her next move.

"Stay away. You don't want to get pulled into Lionel's web." Martha warned not wanting her to get into Lionel's radar.

"How did you escape unscathed?" Lois asked cautiously.

"I didn't." Martha explained simply.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean..." Lois began to apologise for her inability to stop her mouth from running off. Clark had told her it was one of her endearing qualities, but it didn't seem endearing at that moment.

"It's alright Lois. I just don't want you to get in to his orbit." Martha assured she wasn't offended.

"I'm gonna go and pay my respects at Chloe's grave." Lois said finishing her piece of toast. She then said her goodbyes to Martha and made her way out of the house, stopping briefly to check on Clark, who was still sleeping soundly.

"I have a confession to make. I didn't go to your funeral. I hate funerals. Dad says everybody does, but it's a way of paying tribute to a life well led. I hate myself for being weak. I just knew that the moment I came here, it would make it real. I promise I'll find out who did this to you. Even if I have to do it alone." Lois said trying to hold back her tears.

"You're not alone." Clark said coming up behind Lois startling her.

"A fact you could've shared before you were breathing down my neck." Lois replied annoyed. It was more about the fact she didn't like being caught being vulnerable. A trait she was working on resolving with Clark. She had been more vulnerable with him than anyone, but on occasion she would revert back. She softened her gaze and smiled warmly getting up.

"I'm sorry Lois." Clark apologised knowing how much she hated being caught when she was emotional. He helped her up and brought her into a comforting hug, he kissed the top of her head before taking a deep breath.

"I'll give you some time alone." She offered moving out of his embrace.

"You don't have to." Clark assured but she smiled and retreated anyway. Clark turned to the tombstone. He stared at it for a moment, then his eyes moved to the grass in front of the tombstone. A thought occurred to him, and he hesitated. Then he focused his eyes on the grass and looked into the ground with his X-ray vision. He saw the coffin in the ground, he then looked through the lid of the coffin. It was empty.

"Lois!" He called out causing the sandy blonde to turn to him in question.

"Chloe's still alive." Clark stated walking towards her.

"What do you mean?" Lois asked confused by his statement. She could've sworn he said Chloe was still alive.

"There's no body in the grave Lois." Clark said as he started walking towards the exit of the graveyard.

"How do you...and where are you going?" Lois asked exasperated by his sudden determined strides.

"To Chloe's safe house, there must be something there to tell us what happened." Clark said grabbing Lois's hand and continues walking. Lois held firm and caused him to turn around.

"Explain." Lois demanded digging in her heels.

"I X-rayed Chloe's and your uncle's graves, there are no bodies there. Why have graves when there aren't any bodies? It's because they are alive; somebody's protecting them. We need to find them before the killers realise and try again." Clark explained as he watched Lois contemplate his logic.

"What if...What if there were no remains. The house exploded Clark! And they were almost inside, I don't see how they could've survived." Lois said trying to not let his optimism give her hope only for it to shatter again when they don't find Chloe.

"Lois. Trust me, Chloe's still alive and I'm going to find her are you with me?" Clark asked moving closer to Lois.

"I...Okay. But you better be right Smallville!" Lois warned and then sought the comfort of his arms.

"I am right. We'll find her I promise." Clark assured as he took her hand and began leading her towards Chloe's safe house.

"This is Chloe's safe house?" Lois asked aghast at the site of the destroyed house and the charred remains of debris.

"You mean what's left of it." Clark commented morosely sharing a look with Lois.

"Oh my god, Chloe, what did they do to you?" Lois asked quietly, horrified at the prospect of Chloe going through something like that. Clark lifted the cordon and began to look around the site.

"What exactly do you expect to find here?" Lois asked following Clark.

"I don't know, but the FBI sealed the case, even the autopsy report, doesn't that sound a little odd?" Clark asked trying to get her to believe he was right.

"Remind me if I'm ever a witness, not to put my life in the hands of the FBI." Lois stated shuddering slightly seeing the damage. Clark looked around x-raying the site for any escape routes.

"Well may be she got out before the explosion." Clark voiced his thoughts looking for anyway Chloe could have gotten away.

"They said she walked inside Clark, I don't know how anyone could survive this." Lois sighed resignedly, losing further hope that Clark was right.

"Lois trust me. There's something not right about all of this. This site too, I just can't put my finger on it, but it's definitely off." Clark explained facing Lois. However the sound of a helicopter come from behind them caused him to turn and look.


End file.
